Excerpt: 'Alcoholism risk linked to gene involved in brain chemistry'
16 Apr 2004


'A research team headed by Indiana University School of Medicine
scientists has identified a gene that is strongly linked to an
individual's risk of developing alcoholism. The gene identified, GABRA2,
is one of several genes that produce parts of the receptor for the
brain's primary inhibitory neurotransmitter, GABA.

GABA is a chemical messenger that carries information between nerve
cells; when GABA binds to the GABA-receptors on a nerve cell, it
inhibits the firing of that cell.

GABA is known to be involved with some of the body's responses to
alcohol consumption, such as loss of physical coordination, effect on
mood, and alcohol withdrawal symptoms.

Alcoholism, which affects nearly 14 million Americans and can cause many
social and health problems costing society an estimated $185 billion
annually, is what scientists call a "complex" disease, meaning that many
genes as well as environmental factors play a role in whether a person
develops the disease.

While there is not one single "gene that causes alcoholism" the
statistical link between this gene and the risk for alcoholism is
powerful, said Howard J. Edenberg, Ph.D., Chancellor's Professor at the
IU School of Medicine. Edenberg was the lead researcher for the study,
which appears in the April issue of the American Journal of Human
Genetics.

"Statistically, this is very strong evidence that this gene affects the
risk of alcoholism," said Edenberg, professor of biochemistry and
molecular biology and of medical and molecular genetics.

As researchers identify genes and brain signaling pathways associated
with alcoholism -- and learn how they vary from one person to another --
opportunities should arise for development of more precisely targeted
drugs, and for individualized approaches to prevent and treat
alcoholism, Edenberg said.

"We may be able to target therapies and preventative treatments based on
individual characteristics," he said. The research was done as part of
the Collaborative Study on the Genetics of Alcoholism, a 15-year-old
project that involves scientists at nine institutions across the country
and is funded by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism,
part of the National Institutes of Health.

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/news...hp?newsid=7301